Give and Take

Episode 96: Martin Luther's Theology of Beauty, with Mark C. Mattes

April 7th, 2018  |  46 mins 12 secs

Mark C. Mattes (PhD, University of Chicago) is professor of philosophy and religion at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. His newest book is "Martin Luther's Theology of Beauty: A Reappraisal." Many contemporary theologians seek to retrieve the concept of beauty as a way for people to encounter God. In this volume, one of today's leading Lutheran theologians argues that while Martin Luther's view of beauty has often been ignored or underappreciated, it has much to contribute to that quest.

Episode 95: The Very Worst Missionary, with Jamie Wright

April 6th, 2018  |  52 mins 30 secs

My guest is Jamie Wright. After finding her faith at a suburban megachurch, Jamie trades in the easy life on the cul-de-sac for the green fields of Costa Rica. There, along with her family, she earnestly hopes to serve God and change lives. But faced with a yawning culture gap and persistent shortcomings in herself and her fellow workers, she soon loses confidence in the missionary enterprise and falls into a funk of cynicism and despair.

Episode 94: My Old Faithful, with Yang Huang

March 30th, 2018  |  48 mins 50 secs

My guest is Yang Huang. Her debut novel "Living Treasures" won the Nautilus Book Award silver medal in fiction. Her newest book is "My Old Faithful." Evoking both the drama of familial intimacy and the ups and downs of the everyday, "My Old Faithful" introduces readers to a close-knit Chinese family. These ten interconnected short stories, which take place in China and the United States over a thirty-year period, merge to paint a nuanced portrait of family life, full of pain, surprises, and subtle acts of courage. Richly textured narratives from the mother, the father, the son, and the daughters play out against the backdrop of China's social and economic change.

Episode 93: Unafraid, with Adam Hamilton

March 30th, 2018  |  45 mins 20 secs

My guest is Adam Hamilton. Adam is the senior pastor of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, one of the fastest growing, most highly visible churches in the country. His newest book is "Unafraid: Living with Courage and Hope in Uncertain Times." It's a book for persons and communities desiring find hope and serenity in an anxious age.

Episode 92: The Delight of Being Ordinary, with Roland Merullo

March 29th, 2018  |  33 mins 44 secs

My guest is Roland Merullo. He is the acclaimed author of twenty previous books, including the international favorite "Breaking with the Buddha", now in its twentieth printing. Against a landscape of good humor, intrigue, and spiritual fulfillment, "The Delight of Being Ordinary" showcases the uniquely charming sensibilities of author Roland Merullo. Part whimsical expedition, part love story, part spiritual search, this uplifting novel brings warmth and laughter to the universal concerns of family life, religious inspiration, and personal identity—all of which combine to transcend cultural and political barriers in the name of a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Episode 91: The Talmudic Account of the Trial of Jesus, with Chaim Saiman

March 27th, 2018  |  52 mins 52 secs

My guest is Chaim Saiman. He's a Professor of Law at Villanova University Law School, and is an expert in Law and Religion and Jewish Legal theory. He wrote a fascinating piece for First Things a few years ago called The Halakhah of Jesus' Trial. In it he reflects on the only piece of Talmud that talks about the trial and death of Jesus.

Episode 90: The Ashokan Way, with Gail Straub

March 23rd, 2018  |  42 mins 54 secs

My guest is Gail Straub. Gail is the Executive Director of the Empowerment Institute, which she co-founded in 1981. Her most recent book is "The Ashokan Way: Landscape's Path into Consciousness."

Episode 89: Reconstructing The Gospel: Finding Freedom From Slaveholder Religion, with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

March 21st, 2018  |  43 mins 19 secs

My guest is Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. He is a celebrated spiritual writer and sought-after speaker. A native of North Carolina, he is a graduate of Eastern University and Duke Divinity School. His newest book is "Reconstructing The Gospel: Finding Freedom From Slaveholder Religion." In it he argues that just as Reconstruction after the Civil War worked to repair a desperately broken society, our compromised Christianity requires a spiritual reconstruction that undoes the injustices of the past. Wilson-Hartgrove traces his journey from the religion of the slaveholder to the Christianity of Christ. Reconstructing the gospel requires facing the pain of the past and present, from racial blindness to systemic abuses of power. Grappling seriously with troubling history and theology, Wilson-Hartgrove recovers the subversiveness of the gospel that sustained the church through centuries of slavery and oppression, from the civil rights era to the Black Lives Matter movement and beyond.

He lives with his family at the Rutba House, a Christian community and house of hospitality, in Durham, North Carolina, where he directs School for Conversion.

Episode 88: Democracy In Exile, with Daniel Bessner

March 20th, 2018  |  1 hr 30 secs

My guest is Daniel Bessner. Daniel is the Anne H.H. and Kenneth B. Pyle Assistant Professor in American Foreign Policy in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. His new book is "Democracy In Exile: Hans Speier and the Rise of the Defense Intellectual."

Episode 86: The Gender Effect, with Kathryn Moeller

March 13th, 2018  |  1 hr 54 secs

My guest is Kathryn Moeller. She is Assistant Professor of Educational Policy Studies and an affiliate of the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Her newest book is "The Gender Effect: Capitalism, Feminism and the Corporate Politics of Development."

Episode 85: The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson, with Stanley Hauerwas

March 7th, 2018  |  54 mins 27 secs

My guest is Stanley Hauerwas. He is Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Divinity and Law at Duke University. His most recent book is "The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson."

Episode 84: Paul: An Apostle's Journey, with Douglas Campbell

February 27th, 2018  |  57 mins 45 secs

My guest is Douglas Campbell. He's a professor of New Testament at Duke Divinity School. His most recent book, "Paul: An Apostle's Journey", invites the reader to relive the story of Paul's action-packed ministry, and follow the the development of Paul's thought throughout both his physical and spiritual travels.

Episode 83: Age of Discovery: Navigating the Risks and Rewards of Our New Renaissance, with Chris Kutarna

February 23rd, 2018  |  1 hr 7 mins

My guest is Chris Kutarna. Chris is the co-author of Age of Discovery: Navigating the Storms of Our Second Renaissance, a best-selling, internationally acclaimed book published by Bloomsbury and St Martin’s Press. Among other predictions, Chris publicly foresaw the outcome of the United Kingdom’s 2016 referendum on EU membership (Brexit) and the 2016 election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEZJUKA36hA&t=9s)

Episode 82: Billy Graham: A Grandson's Reflection, with Tullian Tchividjian

February 22nd, 2018  |  40 mins 20 secs

Tullian Tchividjian is the grandson of Billy Graham. He's written several award winning books. He's been a celebrated preacher and pastor. In recent years he's not just preached the message of grace, he's also confessed his deep need for it amidst his own struggles. In this episode he reflects on the memory of his recently deceased grandfather, Billy Graham.

Episode 81: How To Break Up With Your Phone, with Catherine Price

February 15th, 2018  |  51 mins 59 secs

My guest is Catherine Price. She's an award winning writer and science journalist. Her most recent is entitled "How To Break Up With Your Phone."

Episode 80: Breaking The Ruhls, with Larry Ruhl

February 10th, 2018  |  48 mins 37 secs

My guest is Larry Ruhl. His first book, Breaking the Ruhls, is a profoundly personal account of the impact of complex trauma on a man’s life.